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Kittitas County Press Release
Commissioners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kittitas County Terminates Contract for Armory Project
Kittitas County, WA - 06/20/2012 - Kittitas County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously voted to terminate the current construction contract and all remaining work for the Armory remodel project with Skyline Contractors, Inc. of Spokane. The decision was the result of thorough consideration and deliberation after issues were raised last week by the contractor regarding the safety and structural integrity of the building. An inspection by experts, agency officials, and representatives of the County and contractor was conducted on Friday of last week and reports are forthcoming. Once those reports are received and reviewed, the County will decide what, if any, actions are needed to assure the building is safe. The County will also decide whether, when, and on what conditions to resume construction.
“This will enable us to fully evaluate and resolve all the issues raised last week,” commented Commissioner Alan Crankovich. “We were made aware of some concerns about the building by the contractor and we are evaluating those concerns with the help of experts. The Armory is an old building and we want to make sure we are doing what is necessary to be certain it is safe and to address the concerns. That’s going to take some time.” Work was stopped inside the building last Wednesday, June 13.
Commissioners sent the written notice of termination to the Contractor on Tuesday informing them of the County’s decision to invoke the Termination for Convenience clause contained in the agreement between the County and Skyline Contractors, Inc. The Termination for Convenience clause allows the County to terminate the contract for convenience when it is determined to be in the best interest of the County. “We clearly have a change of circumstances that was not anticipated under the original contract,” added Commissioner Obie O’Brien. “In light of the amount of time it may take to fully evaluate the building, we believe it is in our best interest to terminate the contract at this time to avoid additional costs that may accrue from the contractor while the investigation is pending and workers are waiting.”
According to the Termination for Convenience, Skyline Contractors Inc. must stop all work, terminate all subcontracts, and place no further subcontracts or orders for materials or services for the job. The County has requested that Skyline demobilize off site within seven days including removal of all equipment, fences, and tools. Skyline will be paid for all work done on the project up to this point. The County has also requested that Skyline submit a detailed accounting of all termination costs it may incur. “It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to make this decision but we believe it is the right thing to do in these circumstances,” commented Commissioner Paul Jewell. “In a remodel project with an old building like this one, sometimes everything doesn’t go as planned. We are grateful to the Contractor for making us aware of his concerns so they can be adequately addressed before moving forward. We are going to take the time that is necessary to decide how to proceed carefully and correctly. While that work is being done, we want to make sure we don’t incur unnecessary costs for the citizens of our County. At this point, we simply don’t know how long the evaluation will take.”
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Read the full press release: Notice of Termination to Skyline Contractors, Inc.  101 KB
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact (media only): Kittitas County Board of Commissioners
509.962.7508
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